Is YouTube Worth Starting? I Made 125 Videos in 30 Days to Find Out!

I went ALL IN for a month to try to earn passive income…

On New Year’s Eve Eve 2022, I was excited!

I had a NEW new year’s resolution. I was ditching my first YouTube channel and starting over with a new one.

I was genuinely full of optimism. You can see it on my face as I posted my first video on my new channel!

I had no idea how daunting the journey I was about to embark on was.

A challenge to get monetized in 30 days on YouTube leveraging nothing but shorts? Seriously, Frankie?! On a brand new channel?

Why not start with an easier challenge?

Remember when you told your wife this project would take up less of your time than your main channel?

Were you lying to her…

or yourself?

Okay, enough of the negative inner monologue!

It wasn’t ALL bad.

As you may have guessed by now, my 30-day challenge to monetize a brand-new YouTube channel didn’t exactly go as planned.

Yes, I technically failed to reach my goals.

But, what I have to share with you today is far more useful than if I would have succeeded.

Let me start there…

Getting Monetized in 30 Days Isn’t Realistic

I knew this challenge would be hard. Extremely hard.

After I started super strong with a few hundred subscribers in a few days, I reflected and thought:

What happens if I succeed? What will that teach or show people?

If I made it look easy would that set false expectations? Would it mislead you? Would it actually set others up to fail hard and fast and be disappointed and quit early?

Before I share my full results, here’s an honest look at what getting monetized on YouTube from scratch looks like:

What it Takes to Get Monetized on YouTube

With my first channel (The Money Resolution) I had no idea what I was doing. I thought about starting a channel for years.

One day I said screw it and I hit record.

It took me 20 months, 10 days, and 74 mostly terrible videos to meet the YouTube monetization requirements.

On September 20th, 2020 I was accepted into the YouTube Partner Program. I earned $6.86 from YouTube on September 21st. The next day I earned $10.77. The next day I earned a whopping $17.23.

I was on Cloud 9!

The reality is, 20 months is probably fast compared to the average newbie. You should expect it to take up to 2 years and 100 videos to get monetized.

And I do mean longer videos — not Shorts.

YouTube Shorts is new and has potential so you might get lucky with those. That was my plan.

But I didn’t get lucky…

YouTube 30-Day Challenge Full Results

First, I achieved my goal of making 125 videos! I made 118 YouTube Shorts — which is crazy. I also made 7 long-form videos.

My YouTube Shorts were a mixed bag of content. About half was new content, a quarter was content I re-edited from my first channel, and a quarter were “Remix” videos (Shorts pulled directly from my longer-form videos).

I gained 736 subscribers, 65,000 views, and 434 watch hours.

I’m super proud of those numbers no matter what. I’m very proud of the fact that I had at least 1,000 views every day.

The hard work paid off.

My most viewed video was Pro Tip for Medium Writers #Shorts, which gained nearly 3,000 views.

My Shorts video that drove the most subscribers was 2023 Mission: Passive Income, which earned me 33 subscribers from 1,300 views.

I would guess one-third of my subscribers are due to the fact that I talked about my new channel and project in my last Money Resolution video to my 13,000 subscribers. I also emailed my 1,700-person email list about my new project.

I likely gained around 500 subscribers organically, which is roughly 5 subscribers a video on average.

I’m not super close to getting monetized because I’m a far cry from the 4,000 watch-hours requirement and the 10 million Shorts views option — which is new in 2023.

One commenter described YouTube well when he said:

Getting to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube must be hellish to reach.

I would edit that to say 4,000 watch hours is extremely difficult to reach.

That said, my channel will eventually get monetized. When is a big unknown.

If I continue making videos about my 30-day passive income challenges, my guess is I’ll get there within 7 or 8 months.

YouTube is Very Hard and Hard is Very Worth It

Nothing good comes easy on YouTube.

You won’t get lucky. You have to create your own luck and go all in by showing up consistently.

I had an original channel concept and I went all in. I didn’t worry about what my old subscribers, friends, family, or strangers on the internet thought.

If you’re going to do YouTube, have an all-in mindset for at least 6 months — or ideally a full year.

So, ultimately, do I recommend YouTube to someone brand new to it?

Hell yes.

But only if you set realistic expectations for yourself, have the right intention of helping (or entertaining) others, and have a personal growth mindset.

Be open to growth the entire journey because you will learn a LOT if you are…

What I Learned on YouTube by Going ALL IN for a Month

• I learned how to prioritize creating a ton of content daily by cutting out distractions.
• I learned the YouTube monetization rules inside and out, including new changes.
• I learned adding captions is important for Shorts and learned how to add them (app: CapCut)
• I learned how to be more confident on camera
• I learned YouTube is NOT oversaturated.
• I learned to stop overthinking mistakes and trying to be perfect.
• I learned my creative super weapon is running. I ran 50+ miles this month outside in winter in Washington State (rain or clouds) because I realized it was helping me so much with ideas.
• I met new friends like Becky, a future author I met with for an hour — which reminded me how much I love helping people write books
• I learned the YouTube algorithm is predictably unpredictable. Don’t let it discourage you.
• I learned I enjoyed documenting my daily progress in a journal — it held me accountable.
• I learned how to analyze data constantly and from different angles to uncover different stories.
• I learned the highs are high and the lows are low. I also learned to appreciate that.
• I learned to tell stories in my videos (watch the intro here)
• I learned to stop trying to be other YouTubers. There’s only one of me. Why be anyone else?
• I learned my wife is as supportive as always and was invested in this project and my success daily. Friends and family too!
• I learned how fun it is to push myself to really learn by doing something hard again. That was the best part.

What could you learn? What skills could you gain? And what would you learn about yourself?

Imagine your growth if you went all in on YouTube for a year…

How I Make My YouTube Videos

If you’re thinking of starting a YouTube channel I want to quickly share what equipment and resources I use to help you out:

• I used my phone when I started in 2019. You can and should definitely start there. I upgraded to a Canon M50 camera a couple of years back. I plan to use it for years to come.
• I bought a fancy microphone years ago but reverted back to a basic $80 Audio Technica microphone last year. It’s solid, does the job, and even sounds better for my purposes. You could go the lav mic route for $40.
• I edit using iMovie. I bought Final Cut Pro but it slowed me down. You can definitely succeed with any program. For example, Davinci Resolve is great and free.
• I have one soft light box that was around $50 on Amazon. Otherwise, I get creative with lamps.
• I have a subscription to Epidemic Sound for music and sound effects.
• I use the free version of Canva for thumbnails.
• I paid $50 or less to use TubeBuddy in the beginning.
• I get my stock footage from Pexels and Unsplash.
• I use this headline analyzer tool to help me improve titles, which is also free.
• I script my videos and recommend doing so. It’ll help you cut down on editing 10-fold and provide better value to viewers with easier-to-follow videos. Get a teleprompter and teleprompter app and you’re good to go.

I’ve spent around $1,500-$2,000 over a 4-year span, but I regret spending about a third of that. You really can start with just your phone and a microphone in the $30-$100 range.

Don’t overthink equipment or use that as an excuse to not start. You don’t need help or equipment. Learn as you go and start before you’re ready!

I Earned Passive Income After All!

This YouTube challenge was my first of 12 this year to try to earn passive income.

January 2023 wasn’t a total failure from a passive income perspective. I also started a new Patreon and earned 4 subscribers which means I earned $17, hopefully on an ongoing basis.

I won’t spend any time sales-pitching you but my Patreon link is here if you’re interested in checking it out.

I’m super grateful for that Patreon support. Seriously. It was motivation when I needed some on the tough days.

If You Are Starting a YouTube Channel…

Have fun. Make mistakes. Laugh at yourself. Celebrate successes.

Have a long-term and a growth mindset. Smile and be confident — even when you’re faking it at first.

Don’t think about the money — that will come and be a bonus.

But also, don’t wait.

The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is today.

My Next 30-Day Passive Income Challenge

What 30-day challenge am I taking on for February?

My subscribers on YouTube voted that I should take on: Investing — Alternatives vs. Stocks

I’m going all in on alternative investments. I’ll pick and choose 5, then compare my alternative investments to traditional stock trading in the end.

Subscribe on Medium or on YouTube if you want to be in the know about that.

Drop me a note with any YouTube questions or comments you have. I’m happy to help!

But you don’t need any.

Just.

Start.

Week 1 Video Update | Week 2 Video Update | Week 3 Video Update | Full 30 Day Video Summary

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Frankie Calkins (M. Ed) is a Digital Marketing Director by day. On nights and weekends, he’s an author, YouTuber, and finance course creator. He lives in the Seattle, Washington area. Contact: [email protected]